LAHORE: Protesting outside the Punjab Assembly on Friday, angry PML-N workers chanted slogans, obstructed Jalil Sharaqpuri’s path, and placed a lota on top of his head for his “betrayal”.
Sharaqpuri is among five PML-N MPAs who earned the ire of the party leadership when they met Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar without obtaining permission.
The lota — a plastic vessel — is used figuratively in Pakistani politics as an insulting term for people who switch parties and loyalties quite frequently.
PML-N leader Azma Bokhari said that another MPA of the party who had met CM Buzdar, Faisal Niazi, had resigned from the party’s membership.
“Faisal Niazi wrote his resignation in the opposition leader’s chamber,” she said.
Sharaqpuri submitted a complaint to the Punjab Assembly speaker against the humiliation he had experienced at the hands of the workers.
“There is nothing wrong in meeting the chief minister,” said Sharaqpuri. “If anyone has to stop me from meeting the chief minister, it should be the chief minister himself,” he added.
He said that Nawaz was using very harsh words against state institutions. “Such harsh language should not be used against institutions,” he said.
‘Cannot support’ Nawaz’s statement: Sharaqpuri
Sharaqpuri had also made headlines a few weeks ago when he criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech during the opposition’s All Parties Conference a few days ago.
He had said that he “cannot support” the party supremo’s statement.
“Nawaz Sharif’s speech against the state institutions has hurt me deeply,” Sharaqpuri had said, adding that while politics had its place, speaking against the country’s institutions was “not in the national interest”.
“Mian Nawaz Sharif should not have made such remarks,” the lawmaker had added, advising the PML-N — “especially” the party supremo — not to be worried by trials and jails.
“Nawaz got emotional and issued a statement against the institutions,” he had said, adding that “all political parties in Pakistan have elements of dictatorship within them”.
The PML-N, last month, dismissed five members of the party for violating its discipline and meeting Chief Minister Buzdar without the leadership’s permission.
The members who were removed are Punjab Assembly lawmakers Ashraf Ansari, Jaleel Sharaqpuri, Faisal Niazi, Nishat Daha and Moulvi Ghayasuddin.
The inquiry against the aforementioned members came into effect with the approval of PMl-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah.
Besides this, a few PML-N parliamentarians were issued show-cause notices for having been absent during the crucial voting that took place in a joint session of the parliament for Financial Action Task Force (FATF) related legislation.
Those asked to explain their absence that day include Raheela Magsi, Kulsoom Parveen, Dilawar Khan and Shamim Afridi.
